Abbay Media News
Yassin Ibrahim
The driving population of Addis Ababa were seen crowding fuel stations in long queues when the news broke of a week-long strike on fuel transportation called by Qeerro.
The Oromo youth known as Qeerro has warned fuel truck transporters of serious consequences should they not adhere to the week-long ban. The new strike came a week after a three day “stay-home” strike that crippled businesses and transportation in Oromia region last week.
The strike is a continuation of the protest against the ethnic based government of Ethiopia that began three years ago demanding political freedom, economic fairness and the rule of law. The uprising that sprung from a little town of Ginchi in Oromia region has been steadily growing in intensity and frequency covering almost all parts of the country except in Tigray. In Amhara region the question of ‘Wolkait’s Amhara Identity’ led by Colonel Demeke played a major role in setting the momentum.
The uprising has not only galvanized the entire country but also has forced the regime to free thousands of political prisoners the government denied their existence. It has also brought the resignation of the Prime Minister and a major fracture in the coalition of the four ruling regional parties known as Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).
The state of Emergency declared few weeks ago by the military and intelligence wing of the government has been largely violated or ignored by the people all over the nation. The United States Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, who visited Ethiopia last week said “greater freedom, not less” should be the answer for the people’s demands and has insisted the government to call off the State of Emergency in earnest.
